A three-minute read

Sleep better tonight with five small habits

Good sleep rarely comes from one big fix. It usually comes from a few ordinary routines done most days. Here are five that are simple to start, cost nothing and line up with what sleep organisations commonly recommend.

Start with tip 1 Get more tips by email

1Steady wake time
2Morning light
3Caffeine timing
4Calm bedroom
5Wind-down

A person asleep face-down on white pillows and sheets — Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0

The five tips

Pick one or two to try this week. Small changes that you keep up tend to matter more than a perfect plan you drop after three nights.

A hand holding a small white alarm clock — Photo: Lukas Blazek · CC0

Tip 1

Wake up at the same time every day

Your body keeps an internal clock, and it likes routine. Getting up at roughly the same time on workdays and days off gives that clock a steady anchor, which often makes it easier to feel sleepy at a sensible hour in the evening.

Choose a wake time you can actually keep seven days a week, then count back to find a bedtime that leaves room for at least seven hours in bed asleep.

Try this: keep your weekend wake time within about an hour of your weekday one for the next two weeks.

Early morning sunlight falling across a woodland footpath — Photo: Marathon · CC BY-SA 2.0

Tip 2

Get daylight early, keep evenings dim

Light is the strongest signal your internal clock responds to. Bright light soon after waking helps tell your body the day has started. Softer, lower light in the last hour or two before bed helps it wind down.

Outdoor light is far brighter than most indoor rooms, even on a cloudy day, so a short spell outside in the morning does more than sitting by a lamp.

Try this: spend 10 to 15 minutes outside within an hour of getting up, and switch to lamps instead of ceiling lights after dinner.

A cup of milky coffee on a saucer with a spoon — Photo: Edward · CC0

Tip 3

Time your caffeine and go easy on nightcaps

Caffeine can stay active in the body for many hours, so an afternoon coffee may still be working at bedtime. Remember that tea, cola, energy drinks and some chocolate count too.

Alcohol can make you feel drowsy at first, but it tends to make sleep lighter and more broken later in the night. A large meal right before bed can also keep some people awake.

Try this: set a personal caffeine cut-off around early afternoon and see how your nights feel after a week.

A simple bedroom with a made bed, a soft blanket and a bedside lamp — Photo: Shixart1985 · CC BY 2.0

Tip 4

Keep the bedroom cool, dark and quiet

Most people sleep more comfortably in a room that feels slightly cool. Many sleep organisations suggest somewhere around 60 to 67 °F (about 16 to 19 °C), but what matters is what feels right for you under your covers.

Blocking stray light and cutting down on sudden noise helps too. Heavy curtains, an eye mask, earplugs or a steady fan sound are all simple options.

Try this: tonight, turn off or cover every small glowing light in the room and open a window or lower the heating a little.

A person lying on a bed reading a paperback beside a rainy window — Photo: Shixart1985 · CC BY 2.0

Tip 5

Give yourself a 30-minute wind-down

Going straight from emails or a busy show into bed leaves your mind still running. A short, repeatable routine, such as a shower, some light stretching or a few pages of a paper book, tells your brain the day is closing.

If you are still wide awake after what feels like about 20 minutes, get up, do something quiet in low light, and go back to bed once you feel sleepy. This keeps your bed linked with sleep rather than with lying awake.

Try this: set a phone reminder 30 minutes before bedtime that says “screens down, lights low”.

These tips are general information, not medical advice. If poor sleep goes on for weeks, you snore loudly, or you feel very sleepy during the day, talk to a doctor or other qualified health professional.